So Iím about 3 1/2 months into my cut and Iím looking to shed a few more lbs to hit around 10% bf. I started at 5í9 185 lbs. and 20% bf, cut down to about 2,100 calories a day and now Iím at 157 lbs ~12-13% bf. I've been progressively lowering my calories more and more to maintain progress. For the past 2 weeks Iíve been hitting about 1,800 cals with a 40/40/20 split on my macros.

I decided yesterday to cut even more (in a somewhat PMSF fashion) to 1,400 cals still meeting the same amount of protein (around 190-200g daily) but significantly cutting my dietary fat and carb intake to about 30g and 50g respectively.

I was wondering if anyone has done anything like this and if the change in macros will effect me in too negatively a fashion. I know my fat is really low and I was wondering if I could meet my EFA needs through my Fish Oil supplementation.

Iím currently lifting 5 days a week on a 3 day split and actually doing very limited cardio. Could anyone see me running into any issues? Suggestions?

EFA isn't the only essential fat. You're already getting more than enough protein, so you can probably balance out some of that with more fat. Monounsaturated fats from avocados, olives, and nuts, as well as fresh (as in minimally processed) plant-based saturated fats like coconut and red palm oil could really help with satiation issues as well as work within the body to kill local inflammation, one of the main causes of muscle soreness post-workout.

You can also do wonders by timing your carb intake right after a heavy lifting session, as it will go mainly towards replenishing glycogen and make good use of the period of heightened insulin sensitivity that occurs immediately post-workout. Combine your carb with a little bit of protein within 1-2 hours of your lifting, then eat a regular meal a few hours after that. This way you'll feed your muscles with a constant stream of aminos for rebuilding while optimizing fat loss.

Can you describe your training split? If you're chronically overtrained your body could be hanging on to some fat in reserve because of all the stress.

Disclaimer: I'm not professionally qualified to make any formal recommendations. I've just done my homework and I'm my own guinea pig. All of my data, unless otherwise cited, comes from a sample size of n=1 (me).

EFA isn't the only essential fat. You're already getting more than enough protein, so you can probably balance out some of that with more fat. Monounsaturated fats from avocados, olives, and nuts, as well as fresh (as in minimally processed) plant-based saturated fats like coconut and red palm oil could really help with satiation issues as well as work within the body to kill local inflammation, one of the main causes of muscle soreness post-workout.

You can also do wonders by timing your carb intake right after a heavy lifting session, as it will go mainly towards replenishing glycogen and make good use of the period of heightened insulin sensitivity that occurs immediately post-workout. Combine your carb with a little bit of protein within 1-2 hours of your lifting, then eat a regular meal a few hours after that. This way you'll feed your muscles with a constant stream of aminos for rebuilding while optimizing fat loss.

Can you describe your training split? If you're chronically overtrained your body could be hanging on to some fat in reserve because of all the stress.

The diet parts a real issue, I'm currently stationed in Afghanistan on one of the smallest, most isolated FOB's in RC North. The only reason I have even internet access is because that's what I do, provide tactical COMMS for Infantry and SF. The reason this detail is important is because I haven't seen a vegetable, fruit, hot meal, or real gym (We have a tent with a Flat Bench, a few EZ bars, and some Dumbbells fortunately) in months. Really the only sources of substantial fat that I can add into my diet is through highly processed MRE Peanut Butter and "Cheese Spread." Luckily I have a few lbs. of ON Whey, Casein, some 2:1 Protein Bars (almost out!), a few packages of Quaker Plain Rolled oats (add them into PWO whey), and my Multi-Vitamin/Fish Oil/ and BCAA's. Thank God for care packages. And it's really difficult to add a supplement or something into my regiment because it takes about 1 1/2 months for packages to get out here.

As far as my split, it's really inconsistent because of the nature of my job and my location but I usually do...

Well then, carry on doing your oats and whey post-workout. I'd say the peanut butter is better than "cheese spread," so you can eat that plain a couple tablespoons a day and/or toss it into your PWO also. Try to avoid the oats until after you've trained for the day. Based on your height/weight I'd say you're at a pretty good raw weight and your bf% is pretty enviable too, so unless you're cutting to ration your good stuff I'm not sure it's all that necessary.

You could try switching up your routine a little if you find you're plateauing. I'm doing a upper-lower split four days/week right now that sees two days upper body and two days lower body; one day of each is max effort (lifting heavy) and one day of each is dynamic effort (lifting fast). I try to get in some intervals or a long walk/jog on each of those days too. There's a lot of flexibility in the program and it's still built around the Big 3 lifts. Just a thought.

Disclaimer: I'm not professionally qualified to make any formal recommendations. I've just done my homework and I'm my own guinea pig. All of my data, unless otherwise cited, comes from a sample size of n=1 (me).

Well then, carry on doing your oats and whey post-workout. I'd say the peanut butter is better than "cheese spread," so you can eat that plain a couple tablespoons a day and/or toss it into your PWO also. Try to avoid the oats until after you've trained for the day. Based on your height/weight I'd say you're at a pretty good raw weight and your bf% is pretty enviable too, so unless you're cutting to ration your good stuff I'm not sure it's all that necessary.

You could try switching up your routine a little if you find you're plateauing. I'm doing a upper-lower split four days/week right now that sees two days upper body and two days lower body; one day of each is max effort (lifting heavy) and one day of each is dynamic effort (lifting fast). I try to get in some intervals or a long walk/jog on each of those days too. There's a lot of flexibility in the program and it's still built around the Big 3 lifts. Just a thought.

Oh yeah, Godspeed.

Yeah, in the future when asking for advice I should probably throw that kicker in there... I can't wait to be back from deployment to where I can actually cook my own food and buy my own groceries, let alone have a REAL gym.

I agree with the "Cheese Spread" I didn't really want to eat it but it's got a lower calorie content with the same fat and less carbs than the PB. They are both obviously insanely processed and full of hydrogenated oils I'm sure, but it's the best that I can do.

Thanks for the lifting advice, I've been wanting to look into some different workouts as long as they incorporate the big three. It's difficult to lift as heavy as I'd like out here because of actual lack of weights and proper equipment. And I hate that I had to cut out cardio as much as I've had to. I LOVE to run but haven't been able to here because there's no treadmill and no where to run on the FOB. It's tiny and all gravel and I don't want to risk spraining an ankle that would hinder my workouts and mission capability. All in all, these are the worst conditions to try and get in shape under.